DoD defines impact levels based on the sensitivity and risk associated with the data, which was used to establish the minimum protection and controls required. There are four impact levels: 2, 4, 5 and 6, with mandated protections increasing with each successive level. Impact Level 6 is for data classified as Secret.

Impact Level 2 is for Non-Controlled Unclassified Information which includes all data cleared for public release, as well as some DoD private unclassified information not designated as CUI or critical mission data, but the information requires some minimal level of access control.

Cloud service offerings that were granted DoD PAs:

AINS eCase. Service Model: Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). FedRAMP Agency ATO by Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Edge Hosting CloudPlus – Managed Cloud for Secure Windows and Linux Application Hosting. Service Model: Platform as a Services (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). FedRAMP Agency ATO by Department of Labor

IBM SmartCloud for Government. Service Model: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) . FedRAMP JAB PA

Lockheed Martin SolaS-I Government Community Cloud. Service Model: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) . FedRAMP JAB PA

MicroPact Product Suite. Service Model: Platform as a Service (PaaS). FedRAMP Agency ATO by Department of the Interior

Facebook is now operating modified Open Rack designs in its Cold Storage data center facility in Prineville, Oregon, which preserves the billions of photos shared by its users.

The modified Open Rack architecture packs 2 PB storage (using 4 TB drives). Facebook has achieved one-quarter the power usage of conventional storage servers, according to the company's engineering blog. Because this facility is used for cold storage rather than live streaming, Facebook was able to remove all redundant electrical systems, including all uninterruptible power supplies (DCUPS) and power generators.

In addition, rather than storing multiple copies of the data in different hardware failure domains, Facebook is now implementing a Reed Solomon Redundancy technique to store fewer than two copies of the same data but still protect against loss should a hardware failure occur. The technique involves cutting the data up into small pieces and using Reed-Solomon error correction codes to generate additional sets of blocks for file reconstruction.

Facebook's blog posting notes that its two cold storage data facilities are now protecting hundreds of petabytes of data.

Linksys introduced its Max-Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Gigabit Router (EA8500) -- the first MU-MIMO enabled 802.11ac router. The new Linksys router leverages the 802.11ac Wave 2 MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output) technology, which helps ensure uninterrupted Wi-Fi connectivity to all the devices in the home. The company says the experience is as if multiple devices have their own dedicated router.

The Linksys EA8500 router incorporates Qualcomm MU | EFX MU-MIMO technology+, which helps to provide up to 3x faster speeds compared to current Wi-Fi. The combined 2.53 Gbps Wi-Fi speeds (up to 1733 Mbps for 5 GHz and 800 Mbps for 2.4 GHz‡) help minimize buffering and enable faster downloads. It features a 1.4 GHz dual-core CPU and four Gigabit ports. Users can attach devices to the USB 3.0 port and a combo USB 2.0/eSATA port for uninterrupted personal cloud content streaming or to share data across their network. The four removable external antennas are adjustable for maximum coverage, while beamforming technology concentrates the Wi-Fi signal to each device for stronger, better performance and increased mobile speed and range.

“MU-MIMO technology revolutionizes the wireless experience in the home,” said Mike Chen, vice president of product management, Linksys. “The average home has more than 8 devices connecting to the Internet, and they’re not used for just sending emails and tweets. We’re streaming movies and TV shows in high definition, we’re video chatting with our friends and family, and we’re playing video games against competitors around the globe, all on different devices and often at the same time. To have dedicated bandwidth for their devices simultaneously will enhance the users’ experience so they won’t see that buffering icon when streaming a movie or listening to choppy music or worse, playing games with lag. We are so confident in the experience that MU-MIMO provides that we will be expanding our product line in the future to include more MU-MIMO routers.”

Ericsson has filed new lawsuits against Apple in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The suits refer to the 2G and 4G/LTE standards, as well as other technology that is not standardized, but is related, such as the design of semiconductor components and non-cellular wireless communications.

Ericsson says it has attempted to reach a licensing agreement with Apple for more than two years to no avail.

Cloud perimeter firewalls and management systems from leading vendors can be integrated with the Nokia Networks telco cloud security solution, with the Check Point firewall being the first to be certified. This approach is part of the Nokia Networks partnering strategy for business growth.

Nokia cloud wise services support operators from analysis of cloud strategy, to architectural design and implementation of full telco cloud security. The implementation phase provides secure migration alongside a hardening procedure for the hypervisor and overall telco cloud infrastructure.

"As operators migrate to the telco cloud, a new approach is needed to address the corresponding security threats. Our strategy is to provide operators with the industry’s most secure solutions. To achieve that, we combine our mobile network and security portfolio and know-how with the expertise of the leading security vendors.”